


Something About You

by ArcaneLaurels



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Modern AU, Other Characters Are Mentioned, like there's still magic and stuff but also like Uber exists, so fantasy modern, suggestive talk but no actual smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-05-09 05:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14710053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcaneLaurels/pseuds/ArcaneLaurels
Summary: Parties aren't really Kravitz's thing, but when he bumps into a familiar (and very cute) face at one, he ends up having a much better night than expected.(aka a very short taakitz college dating au. Title is from the Level 42 song of the same name)





	1. Death of the Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to @MichaelaLoell for the name of this chapter!

Kravitz hated parties. He didn’t even know why he kept going to them. Maybe it was the idea of putting off schoolwork for another night. Maybe it was the free alcohol. Or maybe it was the hesitant promise of meeting someone new and exciting, of having a good time.

But that never happened. No, instead it always ended up the same way. Him being too self-conscious to get any further gone than tipsy while everyone around him got plastered. On the dance floor, people clung to each other in the darkness and the heat and the music that was so loud it was practically suffocating. He never asked anyone to dance. Occasionally, girls emboldened by alcohol would approach him, but he simply refused, not bothering to explain that they weren’t exactly his  _type_.

It got to the point - the way it always did - where Kravitz felt like if he spent another second here he would suffocate. He drained the last of his drink and threw the cup aside, preparing himself to make his way across the dance floor since it was the only way to get to the exit.

He started pushing his way through the throng of people, not even bothering to excuse himself because he knew they would forget within seconds. He was nearly out of the sea of people when he felt warm arms wrap around his neck and an even warmer body press up against his side. Flustered and surprised, he looked down and immediately felt a blush rise to his face when he recognized Taako.

Kravitz didn’t  _know_  him, per se. They were in the same large lecture class of more than a hundred students, and under normal circumstances someone from that class would’ve been insignificant to him.

Except that Taako had a very… _distinctive_  look. He always arrived to class dressed like he was a grown version of a Disney Channel character, with questionable layers of clothing and odd accessories that somehow worked, probably just because it was him. He tended to sleep through class, only waking up when the professor would notice his snoozing and ask him a question about the material (because she was  _that_ kind of professor). Every single time, Taako answered the question perfectly and then almost immediately went back to sleep. Kravitz often wondered why he even bothered to show up at all, and was certain that Taako didn’t even know he existed.

 _How_  Taako had been at this party this long without Kravitz’s knowledge was a mystery. But that question was pushed out of his mind because right now Taako was  _very_  drunk and…well…grinding against his leg.

Kravitz froze, unsure how to react as Taako swayed and ran his hands over him, occasionally flipping his half-undone braid over his shoulder before pressing closer to him. Panicking, Kravitz took Taako’s hands and pried them off of him, only to have them return as soon as he tried to move away. He needed to get some air  _now_ , so he quickly moved away and off the dance floor, vaguely registering that Taako was still clinging to him.

They got to the door and Kravitz turned back to try to unstick Taako from him again, only for him to groan and pout, walking his fingers up Kravitz’s chest.

“Wha’s wrong, handsome?” Taako’s voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the music. “Dunno how to dance?” He leaned in closer, his breath hot in Kravitz’s ear. “Why don’ we go back t’ my place and’ll teach ya?”

Kravitz swallowed dryly, his face burning. “You’re drunk,” He argued back loudly.

Taako’s pout deepened. “And you’re no fun. I’ve-I’ve seen you,” He slurred, swaying and using Kravitz to stay upright. “You’re the guy who stares ‘t me in class. You’re lucky you’re fuckin’… _hot_.”

Kravitz hadn’t thought his face could heat up anymore than it was, but he was proven wrong. “I don’t-”

“But if  _you_ ,” Taako interrupted, jabbing a finger to Kravitz’s chest. “Dont’ wanna fuck  _me_ ,” He pointed to himself. “Then I’ll jus’ find someone else.” He stood up a bit straighter and turned away.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Kravitz grabbed Taako by the wrist. “I don’t think that’s the best idea.” Taako was definitely not in a good state to be making those kinds of decisions. 

Taako willingly let himself be pulled back, overdoing it and pressing himself against Kravitz’s chest. He smirked up at him. “Hmm, change your mind?”

Kravitz looked around, feeling the crowd and the music start to overwhelm him again. “Why don’t we step outside?” He asked and, not waiting for an answer, opened the door and guided Taako out of the house.

It was a cool fall evening and the wind was extremely refreshing after the humidity of the party. Kravitz felt himself start to relax almost immediately while Taako shivered, instinctively pressing against him for warmth only to pull away again.

“Jeez, homie, you’re fuggin’  _freezing_ ,” He looked Kravitz up and down. “What are you?”

“Kind of a rude way to ask that,” Kravitz dodged the question as he led Taako to the steps and sat them both down on the edge. He took off his jacket and put it around Taako’s shoulders, who immediately took it and pulled it tighter around him. Kravitz took out his phone and ordered an Uber.

“Thought you were a human,” Taako muttered as he leaned his head on Kravitz’s shoulder. Kravitz didn’t bother pointing out that most humans didn’t have dark red eyes. The breeze picked up and he saw Taako’s free ear twitch a bit in reaction. 

“You sure you don’t wanna fuck?” Taako spoke up again.

Kravitz snorted. “Maybe some other time. As long as you’re sober and still want to.”

“Pfft.” Taako lifted his head, his unfocused eyes somewhat trained to Kravitz’s face. “I’ve been wanting to fuck you since the first day of class, my dude,” He said, prompting Kravitz to blush again.

Taako’s eyes suddenly narrowed and he stared at Kravitz more intently. He leaned forward as if intending to kiss him, but Kravitz leaned back, pressing a hand to Taako’s chest to stop him.

“Again,” Kravitz said, trying to stay composed as he pushed Taako into an upright position and sat back up. “You’re drunk.”

Taako scoffed. “Course I decide to go after a  _gentleman_ ,” He grumbled. “And I thought today couldn’t get any worse.”

“What do you mean?”

Taako eyed him warily. “I don’t owe you my life story, kemosabe.”

Kravitz laughed nervously. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.”

“Ugh,” Taako leaned his head against Kravitz’s shoulder again. “There you go being  _nice_  again. Just like my sister’s stupid boyfriend. She’s been in love with the guy for years.  _Years_. Who the fuck waits that long before making a move? It’s like…who are you and what have you done with my sister, yanno?”

Kravitz did not know. He made a noncommittal noise.

“Anyway I’ve never met the guy before and she refused to show me any pictures of him. But they’re dating now and I met him and?” His pitch rose like he was asking a question and he lifted his head again to look at Kravitz. “He’s a fuggin’  _nerd_. He wears  _jeans_  like, every day.  _Blue jeans_. He’s gonna make her like, start caring about  _school_  or somethin’. Turn her into a nerd too so she’s not fun anymore. My sister’s dating a  _nerd_ , Krav. Can you believe that?”

 _You know my name?_  Kravitz wanted to ask, feeling a strange warmth in his chest. Instead, he shrugged. “I’ve never met your sister, but if she’s anything like you, I doubt that’ll happen,” He chuckled. “And besides, as long as he’s a good person and cares about her, does it matter?”

Taako narrowed his eyes at him and was silent for a few moments. “You’re a nerd, too, aren’t you?”

Kravitz laughed nervously. “That’s-”

Taako interrupted him with a groan. “Gods, what is this, karma or something? Of course  _I’ve_ got a crush on a nerd, too.”

“I’m not- You have a crush on me?” Kravitz asked, struggling to process what Taako had said.

“I called you hot, didn’t I?” Was his only response, as if that was enough of an explanation.

Kravitz was trying to find something to say when a car pulled up a little ways away and he got his Uber notification. “C’mon,” He grunted as he stood up and pulled Taako up with him. 

They got into the car with some trouble from an off-balance Taako. The driver was a larger man who wasn’t paying much attention to them. “Ready to go?” He asked.

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could we make another stop before you take me to my place?” Kravitz asked, untangling Taako’s arms from around him.

“Sure thing, buddy,” The man answered, taking his phone off of its stand and preparing to put in a new address. “Where to?”

“Uh,” Kravitz turned to Taako, who was staring with intent confusion at the seat belt that he was holding in his hand, not having buckled up yet. “Where do you live?”

“Wherever you want me to, sweet cheeks,” Taako responded, doing his best to give Kravitz a sexy glance through half-lidded eyes that just ended up looking comical.

Hearing his voice, the driver turned around. “ _Taako_?”

Taako’s face lit up. “Mags! Fancy meetin’ you here!”

“You two know each other?” Kravitz asked, leaning over to help Taako buckle in.

“Yeah, we’re friends,” The man explained, sounding a bit irritated now. “Don’t worry, I know where he lives. I’m Magnus, by the way.” He shifted gears and started driving. “You one of Taako’s conquests? You’re not taking advantage of my boy, are you?”

Kravitz felt his face heat up again as he finished buckling Taako up, very aware of his hot breath on his neck. He sat back in his seat. “N-No, I’m not. We ran into each other at that party and, well,” He glanced over at Taako before catching Magnus’s eye in the rearview mirror. “I was worried about his safety.”

“Aww, are you sweet on him?” Magnus asked, laughing when Kravitz spluttered. “I’m kidding, thanks for keeping an eye out for him. Taako doesn’t always make the best decisions.”

“I’m right here,” Taako crossed his arms defensively.

“Good thing, too,” Magnus said. “What were you thinking, going to a party alone? Were you trying to get yourself hurt? Or worse?”

Taako scoffed. “I can hold my own.  _I’ve_  got magic powers, you know.”

“So do lots of other people,” Magnus argued. “You’re lucky  _he’s_ a decent guy,” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder in Kravitz’s direction. “Or gods know what could’ve happened to you.”

“Whatever,” Taako grumbled, sinking down in his seat and looking out the window. There was a tense silence that Kravitz felt had to do with something other than Taako’s lackluster decisions tonight.

After a while, Magnus sighed. “You know Lup still loves you, right? Just because she’s serious about this boyfriend doesn’t change that. She’s your sister.”

“Duh,” Taako sneered. “Doesn’t mean I have to like him.”

“Look, you guys have been inseparable since birth, I get that,” Magnus continued, unfazed by Taako’s rudeness. “But you had to know that you’d grow apart eventually. She’ll find someone - maybe this guy, maybe not - and you will, too. Probably.”

Taako continued staring out the window, unresponsive.

Kravitz didn’t notice when Magnus glanced at him in the rearview mirror with a glimmer of mischief in his eye. “What about that guy in your Conjuration lecture? The one you said is super hot?”

Taako’s ears perked up and he stiffened, side-eyeing Magnus. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

“You know, the guy who sits across the aisle from you? The one you said always dresses super nicely and has cheekbones that could cut glass?”

Taako was silent, but Kravitz could see a blush start to form on his cheeks. Kravitz shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling like he knew where this might be going.

Magnus continued. “Yeah, you said you wanted to wind your hands in his hair and push him up against a wall-”

“Magnus.”

“-and let him suck marks into your neck that’d be impossible to hide-”

“ _Magnus_.”

“-and give him what I think you called the ‘blowjob of the century’ and then-”

“ _MAGNUS!”_

“What was his name? Kravitz?”

Taako groaned, his face beet red as he put his head in his hands and refused to look over at Kravitz, who wished he could disappear into his seat.

“Magnus, I’m gonna kill you,” Taako’s voice was muffled by his hands.

“Why?” Magnus asked, poorly feigning innocence. He glanced at Kravitz in the rearview mirror. “What did you say your name was, again?” He asked cheekily.

“I didn’t,” Kravitz muttered, refusing to meet his gaze as his face burned. He knew that Magnus got his name from the app.

“We’re here!” Magnus chirped, pulling into an apartment complex that Kravitz realized was right next to the one he lived in. He punched in the gate code and expertly drove around and stopped in front of what Kravitz assumed was Taako’s building. He turned around in his seat. “You live in the complex next door, right?”

“Yeah, I can- I can walk from here,” Kravitz said, rushing to unbuckle himself and get out. He didn’t really want to spend any amount of time alone with Magnus right now.

He walked around the car and opened the door for Taako, who practically fell out and had to be caught by Kravitz. Taako quickly pulled away, not meeting Kravitz’s eye or thanking him.

“Don’t forget to tip!” Magnus shouted out the open window before driving away.

The two stood in an awkward silence for a few moments.

Taako turned to him. “That guy’s a liar and  _not_  my friend.”

“So then you didn’t say any of those things?” Kravitz asked with a humorous glance.

“I-” Taako’s face turned red again. “I might’ve…I might’ve said something…similar.”

Kravitz chuckled and took Taako’s hand, prompting him to finally look up at him.

“Well, I would not be opposed to…going on a date with you,” Kravitz said. “And seeing where the night takes us. Can I see your phone?”

Taako wordlessly pulled his phone out of his back pocket and unlocked it before handing it to Kravitz. 

He put in his number and handed it back. “I hope you’ll text me sometime. When you’re sober, that is,” He smiled. He hesitated for a moment before pulling Taako a bit closer and leaning down to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be wanting that jacket back,” He murmured, then pulled away and turned to start walking home, waving over his shoulder.

Taako stood still in shock, watching Kravitz walk away. His hand automatically rose to where Kravitz had kissed his forehead and he felt himself blush like some sort of middle schooler.

Kravitz turned and called out over his shoulder. “Make sure to drink lots of water! You don’t want a hangover!”

“Shut up!” He shouted back, but couldn’t fight off the smile that crept across his face. He stood there, swaying a bit but determined to watch Kravitz until he couldn’t see him anymore. The wind picked up and he pulled Kravitz’s jacket tighter around himself before he turned around to head inside.

It was definitely a better night than either of them had anticipated.


	2. A Waiting Game

“Hmmmm…”

Taako absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair that hung below him as he dangled upside down halfway off of his bed.

“Hmmmmmm…”

He shook out his hair and sat up, imagining that he probably looked quite glamorous as his hair fell forward to frame his face. He ruffled it a couple times for good measure (despite the fact that no one could see him), then tapped his phone against his chin a couple times. He unlocked it to look at his contacts page. For a few moments, his thumb hovered over the screen in hesitation.

“Ughhh!” He groaned and fell back so he was hanging upside down again. 

It had been three days since he’d gotten sloppily drunk at a party and thrown himself at that (extremely sexy) classmate of his. Three days since Magnus had  _thoroughly_  embarrassed him even more than he’d embarrassed himself. Three days since Kravitz had given him his number.

_I hope you’ll text me sometime. When you’re sober, that is._

Taako was most definitely sober now. And tomorrow he had his class with Kravitz. It would be a bit awkward to see him in person again without texting him. 

But he just couldn’t fucking  _do_  it.

What was he supposed to say?  _Hey, it’s me. Cha’boy. You know, the guy who basically assaulted you while drunk? Sooo…you wanna go out sometime?_

As if.

He groaned again - loudly - and sat back up. He’d spent the past three hours trying to figure out how to text Kravitz.  _Three hours_. That’s more time than he spent on anything other than cooking, primping, or studying (though he wouldn’t admit that last one to anyone but his sister). Three hours of fruitless brainstorming. He absentmindedly ruffled his hair and flipped it a couple times as he glanced around his room, searching for ideas.

His eyes landed on where Kravitz’s jacket was hanging off the back of his chair. Taako grinned as an idea formed in his head.

* * *

Kravitz was beginning to regret giving Taako his number.

Three days and zero texts. Either Taako wasn’t as into him as it seemed, or he was too embarrassed about his behavior that night to contact him. But he didn’t really seem like the kind of guy to let embarrassment get in his way. 

He nervously fidgeted with his pencil, rapidly tapping it against his textbook. He’d been trying to study the entire weekend but was too distracted. Why did he give Taako his number? Why didn’t he ask for Taako’s number instead?

No, that wouldn’t have worked. He never would’ve gotten up the nerve to text him. But at least then he would’ve known that the lack of communication was his own fault. This was just  _agony_. 

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone vibrating with a notification. He grabbed it - a bit too eagerly - and saw that he’d gotten a text from an unknown number.  _Oh gods._ Kravitz took a breath before opening the text.

He spluttered a bit when he saw what Taako had sent him. It was a photo - nothing racy, but quite the glamour shot - of Taako wearing the jacket that Kravitz had loaned him. He was biting his lip and had one hand running through his hair in a suggestive pose. Underneath the picture, two more messages appeared.

 **Unknown Number:**  i think ill be keeping this bad boy for myself  
 **Unknown Number:**  looks pretty good on me dontcha think?

Kravitz needed a few moments to process.  _How the hell was he supposed to respond to that?_  As he tried to gather his thoughts, he took the time to add Taako’s number to his contacts. After a few more moments, he came up with what he hoped was a sufficient reply. Gods, he hated flirting over text.

     **Me:**  I think you’d look better out of it

It only took a couple moments for Taako to reply, but it was quite possibly the longest few moments of Kravitz’s existence.

 **Taako:**  ooo spicy boy  
 **Taako:**  at least buy me dinner first  
    **Me:**  Is that all it takes?

Kravitz grimaced with immediate regret as he waited for a response.

 **Taako:**  listen  
 **Taako:**  you already saw me at that party  
 **Taako:**  i think any semblance of integrity is already out the window my dude

Kravitz chuckled - nervously - and tapped his fingers on the table as he tried to gather up the courage to send another message.

* * *

Taako sat in his bed as he waited for Kravitz’s next text. He pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging the jacket tighter around himself . It was just because it was a really comfy jacket. And he wanted to make sure it smelled like him when he gave it back to Kravitz. It definitely had nothing to do with the crush he had on that guy.

 **Krav Boy:**  So do you want to go to dinner, then?

Taako chewed on his lip. He supposed it was his fault for making that dinner joke, but he didn’t know how to tell Kravitz that he didn’t really  _like_  any of the restaurants nearby. 

          **Me:**  ehhh dinners too basic  
 **Krav Boy:**  Do you have better ideas for a second date?  
          **Me:**  SECOND date????  
 **Krav Boy:**  Yeah, the party was our first date  
          **Me:**  you got a pretty fuckin wild idea of what constitutes a date my dude  
 **Krav Boy:**  How so?  
 **Krav Boy:**  We danced, we had a nice conversation, and I dropped you off at your place  
          **Me:**  i think you mean  
          **Me** : i threw myself at you  
          **Me** : i overshared about my dumb problems  
          **Me** : my “”””friend”””” exposed me  
          **Me** : and then you nagged me to drink water  
 **Krav Boy:**  Forgive me. I won’t refer to it as a date, then

Taako sighed. Who the fuck texted so formally? He was going to have to work with him on that if they ever got past a second date.

Well, depending on what classified as a date, of course.

          **Me:**  you hear about that new place that opened up on campus?  
 **Krav Boy:**  You’ll have to be a bit more specific than that  
 **Krav Boy:**  I don’t really keep up with campus activities

Taako rolled his eyes. Hopeless.

          **Me:**  its one of those wine and pottery places  
 **Krav Boy:**  Oh, I’ve never been to one of those. What’s it called?  
          **Me:**  the chug n squeeze

There were a few moments of silence where there wasn’t even any indication that Kravitz was typing out a response. Taako was starting to wonder what was going on when his phone rang. 

“Hullo?” He asked, sitting up straight.

“The  _Chug N Squeeze_?!” Kravitz’s voice came out in an undignified wheeze of laughter.

Taako couldn’t help but chuckle at the sound of his laugh. “Yeah, my dude.”

“I thought you were pulling my leg but I looked it up and it’s  _real_.”

“Duh, I wouldn’t lie to you.” Taako twirled his hair around one finger. “Why’d you call me?”

“I, uh, I’m not a big fan of texting,” Kravitz said. “And I’m not too good at it.”

 _Yeah, no kidding._  “Ah.”

“So would you like to go to the Chug N Squeeze with me this Friday?”

Ugh. Friday was so far away. But dates on weekdays were never fun. And besides, he’d get to see Kravitz in class before then. “Hell yeah, homie.”

There was a pause where Taako could practically  _feel_  Kravitz grin. “It’s a date.”

“Sounds good. Oh,” Taako hesitated, taking a millisecond to have an inner debate about what he wanted to say next. “Make sure to save me a seat tomorrow, kay? You always get to class way before me.”

“O-Oh. Yeah- Yes!” Kravitz stuttered. “I will.”

Couldn’t text  _or_  talk, it seemed. Taako smiled to himself. “Alright, see ya then.”

“See you.”

Taako hung up just as Lup burst into his room.

“Hey if I took a skeleton an- What the  _fuck_  are you wearing?!” She stopped dead in her tracks with an outright offended look on her face.

Taako felt his face grow hot as he grasped for a response. Kravitz’s jacket was very nice, but it was  _nowhere_  near Taako’s style.

“Uhhhh stole it from a guy,” He responded, trying his best to sound nonchalant about it.

She crossed her arms, very clearly not believing it. “And  _what_  possessed you to steal  _that_ jacket?”

Taako smacked his lips and opened his mouth to answer. “Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…” He trailed off, blinking repeatedly as he failed his Deception roll. “Don’t know.”

Her ears perked up as if she’d just realized something. “Did someone  _give_  it to you?” She teased, a devious grin on her face.

“No.”

“Liar!” She took a running leap for his bed, landing forcefully enough to make Taako grab the mattress in an attempt to avoid being flung off his own bed. She pulled her legs under herself to sit cross-legged and clasped her hands together, resting her chin on them to give Taako her undivided attention. “Tell me his name!”

Taako wished with every inch of his soul that he could stop his cheeks from burning. “No. fuck you.”

“Taakooooooooo,” Her ears drooped and she pouted. “Pleeeeeeeaaaaasssse!”

“Get out of my room.”

“I’m not leaving till you tell meeeeeeee.”

Taako scowled at his sister, who stared right back with an indignant look. With each passing second, he could feel his willpower being worn down. Fuck.

“Fine! Gods, you win!” He threw his hands in the air and refused to meet Lup’s triumphant gaze. “Asshole. His name’s Kravitz.”

Lup frowned in thought and Taako grimaced as he waited for her to figure out where she’d heard that name before.

Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. “ _Is that the guy you said you would give-”_

_“SHUT UP!”  
_

She leaned forward and excitedly drummed on Taako’s knees. “You got a  _date_  with that guy?! How? I thought he was, like, way out of your league!”

“Okay, first of all, rude,” Taako’s embarrassment was pushed to the side as he sat up to argue with his sister. “Second of all, I won him over with my  _charms_.”

“So you made out with him while drunk?”

“No!” He said indignantly, crossing his arms.

Lup laughed. “Then what’d you do?”

“I…” Taako trailed off, knowing full well that he did  _not_  want to recount the events of that night to his sister. “I mean I did. Sorta. He wouldn’t let me.”

“Ooo, a gentleman?” She sat up straight and put on a posh accent. “This fellow sounds like quite the catch. How does he plan to court you, my dear brother?”

“Gods, you’re so fucking annoying.”

“I love you too!”


	3. An Unlikely Assisstant

Taako opened the door in a snap and grabbed Lucretia by the wrist. “Get in here.”

“Wh- Okay,” Was all she managed to get out as she was yanked into Taako and Lup’s apartment and dragged to his room. “Taako, what is this about?” She asked as he shut his door behind them.

He took a breath as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “I need your help.”

“My help?” Her tone betrayed disbelief. “With- Oh, shit.”

Her last comment was due to the fact that she had finally actually looked around at Taako’s room. It was a mess - more so than usual. If she didn’t know better, she’d say that his entire closet was strewn about the room. She did know better, though, so she knew that he still had many more clothes stashed away.

“Pick up your jaw and help me find something to wear.” He started sifting through some pants on his bed.

“But-” Lucretia shook her head and took an exasperated breath. “Wouldn’t Lup be more well-equipped to help you with this? Or…anyone else, for that matter?” She clutched her sketchbook closer to herself and tried to ignore the fact that her pants  _definitely_ didn’t match her shirt which also  _definitely_ didn’t match the flannel tied around her waist.

“Look,” Taako stood up straight and folded his arms. “Despite the fact that you’re a walking fashion disaster, you’re also the only one I can trust not to annoy me to death about this date.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” She said dryly. “Really appreciate it.”

“ _I’m_ the one who needs the confidence right now, homie.” He shoved the entire pile of pants off the bed and onto the floor with a grunt. “Try as I might, I don’t actually have an endless pool of self-esteem to draw from. And I’m sure you’ve gotta have  _some_  sort of fashionable eye with all the art you do.”

“One would think,” Lucretia muttered. She glanced around room helplessly before letting out a sigh of resignation. “Alright, well…why don’t we narrow down your options first? I’m assuming you don’t wanna wear pants?” She gestured to the newly-scattered pile on the ground.

“I don’t know!” Taako snapped, throwing his hands up in the air. “Those pants all look amazing on me but right now I hate every single one of them and I think they’re conspiring with the blouses to make me look like a gremlin!”

“Okay. Taako. Homie. You gotta chill.” Lucretia put a hand on Taako’s shoulder in an attempt to ground him. He glanced down at it in bewilderment as if it were some random woodland creature on his shoulder and not his friend’s hand.

He groaned in exasperation and fell forward into the pile on his bed. “I’ll just cancel,” Came his muffled voice.

Lucretia just stared at him for a few moments. She’d never seen him this stressed over a date. In fact, he usually seemed to relish in the getting-ready process. In picking out the perfect outfit and the matching shoes and the jewelry. Gods know he’d loved helping her out with preparing for dates (while loudly voicing his disbelief that she’d even gotten dates with her wardrobe).

She gingerly moved aside some of his clothes before sitting down on the edge of his bed. “You really care about this date, huh?” She asked in a softer tone.

“Is it that obvious?” His voice was still muffled.

“Well, your secret’s safe with me.” She reached out and patted his back a couple times. “Now get the fuck up and pull it together.” Her tone hardened with authority and she playfully - but firmly - shoved his shoulder. “You’re going on that date whether you want to or not.”

Taako made an indeterminate grumbling sound. “Director Lucretia is mean.”

“I told you to stop calling me that. Where are you going on your date?”

“Uhhhh,” He slowly pushed himself up. “The Chug N Squeeze.”

“Okay.” She looked around, then moved off the bed and gathered up the large pile of pants, hauling them back up onto the bed with a grunt. “Wear pants then.”

“But-”

“Pants are better for wheel-throwing.” She held up a hand to silence him. “And even if that’s not what you’re doing, I’m assuming you’d rather risk getting clay on a pair of pants than on one of your precious skirts or dresses.”

He let out a dejected “Yeah” as she immediately threw aside any pants that had sequins or glitter on them.

“Not even magic will help you if you get clay gunked up in these,” She said, holding up a pair of pants that seemed to be made out of blue sequins. Once she’d gotten the pile sorted into acceptable pants, she stood aside and gestured towards it. “Pick.”

After much debate and a lot of arguing, Taako eventually landed on a pair of slim, high-waisted, olive green capris. Tucked into them was a slightly ruffled white blouse (somehow the only “date-appropriate” blouse he owned that didn’t have a thousand things dangling from it). There’d been a lot of fighting over his footwear (“ _Close-toed_  shoes, Taako!” “If I’d known there were so many fucking fashion rules with this place, I never would’ve picked it!”), but they both ended up compromising on a pair of black, round-toe pumps. He’d repeatedly tried to layer a billion more things on top of the outfit, but Lucretia consistently stole things away from him and said the sleeves/tassels/etc would get stuck in the clay.

“Pottery  _sucks_!” He shouted as she snatched a metallic gold vest out of his hands.

“You can’t just keep it simple for one night?” She asked, then glanced at the vest. “And this thing is hideous.”

“You’re wearing a flannel.”

“I  _need_ the flannel.”

“You  _need_ a girlfriend.” He shot back.

“ _Hence_ the flannel.”

“I liked you better when you were dating Lup. You were nicer to me,” He pouted.

“I thought I needed to impress you because you were her brother. My mistake.” Her voice was deadpan as she picked up a light pink bomber jacket that had been on the floor near her feet. “What about this?”

Taako’s ears perked up in both interest and surprise. “Not bad, homie, not bad.” He reached out and took it. “We’ll make a fashionista out of you yet.”

“Shut up.”

“Too late, I’m sending in your application to Vogue,” He teased as he slipped the jacket on and cast a quick cantrip to braid his hair into a loose side braid. He put a hand on one hip and cocked them - a near perfect contrapposto, Lucretia noted - then looked up at her expectantly.

“Looks decent.”

“You’re a wealth of compliments, ‘Creesh,” His tone was dry as he moved to his full-length mirror and checked himself out. “A marvelous hype man.”

“I try,” She said as she fell back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

He turned back to her. “Jewelry?”

“I’d just stick with earrings.”

“Ugh.”

They made idle chit-chat as he picked out earrings (”Those are  _way_  too long”) and sat down to do his makeup. Classes, finals, the weird Conjuration professor who everyone except Taako had (he was stuck with the rude lady that woke him up from his naps. The only benefit was that it was the class he had with Kravitz). Everyone swore that guy had a plant fetish based on how he talked about…things. There was also a running bet among the student body as to whether that professor and the Illusion professor were fucking. Their whole friend group had money on ‘yes.’

After some time, Taako turned around to face her. “How’s this?”

Lucretia propped herself up on her elbows to she could see. “Looks good. Can I go now?”

“Jeez, ‘Creesh, tell me how ya really feel.”

“I have to study.”

“It’s a Friday night! And you’re a Fine Arts major.”

“I’m a double major.” She sat up to retaliate. “Fine Arts and Abjuration. Remember?”

“Oh, right, like Abjuration’s so  _hard_.” He rolled his eyes as he applied more lip gloss. “Complain to me when you’re studying a  _real_ school of magic.”

“Fuck you.” She crossed her arms and gritted her teeth against an argument. Of course Taako had to go and major in one of the most difficult schools of magic. There was hardly an argument she could make where he wouldn’t respond with pointing that out.

“Do you think I should wear my hat?” He asked after a few moments.

“Who would you be if you didn’t?”

“Good fuckin’ point, homie,” He said as he stood up to get his hat. He stopped with a confused look on his face and put his hands on his hips as he looked around at the floor. “Uhh.”

Lucretia groaned and dug her hand under the pile of clothes next to her, dramatically heaving the whole pile off the bed in search of his hat. It wasn’t under there.

“Hey! Watch it!” Taako dodged the potentially lethal mass of clothes as it scattered on the floor near him.

“You’re the one who lost track of his hat.”

“And making more of a mess is supposed to help?”

She ignored him as she chucked a pair of pants at his head.

He easily dodged it (rolled a 19) with an extremely annoyed look on his face. “I swear, if you mess up my makeup before this date-”

“Found it,” She interrupted as she held up his (slightly crumpled) hat.

“Oh, hell yeah,” He reached out and snatched it, then plopped it on his head. “Now my outfit is com-puh-lete.”

“You look devastatingly gorgeous, as usual.” Her deadpan tone made her compliment seem less than genuine, but he took it anyway.

“Lucretia, you old softie.” He winked and turned to the mirror to assess himself again. He somewhat nervously adjusted his shirt and jacket a few times and heaved a sigh.

“What’s wrong now?”

“Nothing, just…” He trailed off as he adjusted his hat, tilting it one way and then another. “Nerves, I guess.”

“You’ve never been nervous about a date before,” She commented.

“Yeah.” His voice was quiet. “Probably just because it’s been a while.”

“Or because you’ve been pining for this guy for months.”

“What?” He rounded on her with indignation, but there was a visible blush on his cheeks. “I haven’t been pining!”

She opened her sketchbook. “I kept a running tally of every time I heard you mention this guy. Would you like to hear the number?”

His ears drooped with embarrassment and he averted his gaze. “He’s just hot, is all.”

“You’ve said as much, which begs the question.” She closed her sketchbook and sat forward. “How come it took you this long to get a date with him?”

“I just…thought I’d approach this guy differently,” His voice took on an aloof tone. “For fun.”

“For fun,” She repeated, sounding like she didn’t believe him. “So you decided to wait to approach him so you could…what? Tease him? Give him a chance to date someone else instead?”

“I-”

“And didn’t you just get drunk and throw yourself at him anyway?” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes accusingly. “Doesn’t sound very well planned out.”

“Yeah, well-”

He was cut off by the sound of a knock at the front door.

“Shit.” Taako dove for a pile of clothes on the floor that his phone was buried under. “I lost track of the time.”

Lucretia scooched herself back on the bed and leaned against the headboard, pulling her knees up and propping her sketchbook on them as she started drawing something.

“What are you doing?” He watched her with an incredulous look on his face.

She looked up. “I figured I’d hide out in here until you guys leave.”

“You- Alright, whatever, I don’t have time for this.” He waved dismissively and left the room. “You better not still be here when I get back,” He said over his shoulder.

“Trust me, I don’t want to be.”

Taako paused at the front door and fixed up his outfit and hair one last time, readying himself to open it. Deep breath and…

_Showtime._


	4. The Results of Oversharing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this chapter took me way too long to post! But it's finally here and I hope you like it!
> 
> Also this got a bit heavier near the end than I intended lmao

Taako swung open the door to find Kravitz, dressed in a button-down shirt, nice pants, and a coat, standing with one hand held awkwardly behind his back. He looked exceedingly nervous, definitely more than Taako felt. Which was strange considering that he hadn’t seemed all too nervous the night they met or the times they’d sat together in class since then.

Gods, he was hot. Taako hoped Kravitz didn’t know too much about elves, because his ears standing at attention were a huge tell. “What’s up, my man? Sorry I didn’t answer your texts, kinda lost my phone for a hot minute.”

“Oh, that’s-” Kravitz shifted his feet a bit. “That’s fine. Uh, I need to tell you something.”

Taako raised a brow, a strike of trepidation hitting him. Kravitz was acting like he was about to give him terrible news. He wasn’t gonna cancel, was he? “Uh, what’s up?”

“Well, I-” He sighed and moved his hand out from behind his back to show that he was holding flowers. Very dead flowers. “I got you these, but they kind of...died during the walk up,” He said, his eyes trained to the floor.

Taako blinked, processing for a moment, then started laughing. He tried to stop when he saw Kravitz’s confused face, but some combination of relief and nerves kept it going for way too long. “I’m-” He tried to speak between giggles. “I’m sorry, I’m not- I’m not laughing at you.” He took a deep breath to calm down and wiped a tear from his eye. “It’s just- You seemed so serious!”

Kravitz looked almost offended. “I- Well, I felt bad, I guess.”

“They’re just flowers, my dude.” Taako said, then quickly swiped them from Kravitz’s hand. “I like ‘em better like this anyway.”

“You do?”

“Yeah,” Taako led him to the kitchen and reached up to grab a vase from on top of a cabinet. He stuck the flowers in it and sat it on the table. “Adds a cooler ambiance than  _ living _ flowers. Plus I don’t have to water them now.”

“I, uh,” Kravitz chuckled nervously. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Lup’ll love ‘em too, she and her boyfriend are getting pretty into the whole ‘goth’ thing.”

Kravitz nodded silently, staring intently at the flowers with hesitation on his face. 

“Really, it’s fine.” Taako turned to eye the flowers skeptically. “How’d they manage to die so quickly, though?”

That made Kravitz’s cheeks darken and he started stammering. “That- Uh, I-”

“Dude, are you like a vampire or something?”

His expression changed from nervous to slightly irked. “Why does everyone always guess that?”

“I dunno man, maybe the fangs, or the fact that you’re cold, or that you have red eyes-”

“I’m not a vampire, Taako.”

“Oh-Kayyyy…” Taako trailed off, hoping Kravitz would take the initiative and give him a real answer.

Instead, Kravitz shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away. Great. Now he was uncomfortable. Good job, Taako. Date’s going great so far, isn’t it?

“Uh.” Taako checked his phone. “Oh, uh, we should probably get going! Don’t wanna be late for the class.”

“Hm? Oh, right, let’s go,” Kravitz seemed grateful for the change of subject and started acting a bit more normally, but there was still an awkwardness in the air during the Uber ride.

Taako hadn’t realized he’d strike a nerve by asking Kravitz if he was a vampire. It’d seemed like a reasonable question at the time. Wasn’t like being a vampire was such a bad thing; every vampire he knew was pretty cool. Either way, Taako decided not to push the subject aside in hopes of improving the date a bit. So far, though, the outlook wasn’t good.

“You ever done pottery before?”

Kravitz shook his head. “No, I’m not all that great at the, uh...the ‘visual arts,’ per say.”

That was a leading answer. “Any arts that you  _ are _ good at?”

“Well, I’m a music major, so I’d hope I’m reasonably good at that.”

Taako’s ears perked up. “Music, huh? What’s your instrument?”

“Oh...a few…” Kravitz toyed with the hem of his coat. “Piano, violin, cello, harp…”

Taako leaned forward, impressed. “Damn, you can play all of those?”

“Well, those are the ones that I’m best at.”

“So you can play more?”

“Not very well,” He insisted.

Taako was tempted to ask if he was a bard, but hesitated, not wanting to risk hitting another nerve. “That’s pretty impressive, my man. I can’t play shit.”

Kravitz laughed. “Maybe I could teach you something someday.”

The thought of a future where he was in a solid enough relationship with Kravitz to warrant that made heat rise to Taako’s face and stirred up something in his stomach. He didn’t typically take interest in his dates’ hobbies. Preferred to keep it much more casual.

“Yeah, maybe,” He said quietly, turning to stare out the window of the car for a few moments.

Kravitz broke the silence. “What’s your major?”

“Transmutation. With a minor in culinary studies.” Taako turned back, realizing that he probably shouldn’t have left off the conversation like he had. 

Kravitz raised his eyebrows, impressed. “Transmutation’s a difficult major.”

“Eh,” Taako shrugged. He liked to hold that over his friends’ heads whenever they complained about schoolwork, but the truth was that it really wasn’t too hard. Not for him, at least. “I have a lot of experience with it, so it’s not too bad.”

“Experience?” Kravitz glanced at him. “Did your high school specialize in magic?”

Taako held back a laugh at the thought of his shitty old high school having any fancy specifications like that. It hadn’t even offered magic classes. “Nah, my high school was too shitty for that. I learned it when my sister and I were kids because it was less risky than stealing food.”

Kravitz frowned. “Stealing food?”

Shit. That was oversharing. “Uh, yeah,” Taako sighed. He made this bed and now he had to lie in it. “Lup and I were kind of...how do you sayyyyyy...homeless.”

Kravitz had the usual look of pity in his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry-”

Taako waved it off. “It’s fine, it’s really no big deal.” He tried to keep annoyance out of his tone. He secretly hated that everyone reacted like that. With “I’m sorry” or “That’s terrible.” Neither he nor Lup wanted anyone’s sympathy for their past. They’d worked too hard to get where they are - in one of the top universities of the land - to warrant that. They didn’t see it as some sob story to garner pity. Life was tough for a long time, yeah, but they’d had each other and were smart enough to take care of themselves. And that was all either of them really needed.

Kravitz looked like he didn’t believe Taako, but could tell that he wanted to drop the subject. Luckily, they arrived at the Chug ‘N Squeeze right then. 

Once inside, it was easy to tell that this was a Chug ‘N Squeeze on a college campus. It was a bit rowdier and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than other locations. Taako quickly spotted Carey and Killian chatting across the room. They waved when they saw him, then winked and gave synchronized thumbs up when Kravitz wasn’t looking.

Taako and Kravitz took their seats and were quickly given glasses of the cabernet that was part of tonight’s class. Apparently tonight was Cab ‘N Vase night. They sipped their wine and made idle chit-chat while waiting for the class to start.

The instructor was a bit gruff, giving simple instructions that seemed difficult for Kravitz to follow. Taako glanced over. “You gotta work the clay a bit more first. Like this.” He showed Kravitz using his own clay.

Kravitz frowned, then tried copying Taako. It came out a bit better this time.

“There you go,” Taako gave an encouraging smile, then took another sip of his wine (which by now had clay all over the glass).

“You seem like you’ve done this before.”

Taako shrugged. “I’ve been to one of these a couple times back in high school. Atmosphere was  _ really _ different, though. More fancy-feeling because it was mostly real adults there. And I wasn’t allowed to drink, so that was bunk.”

Kravitz chuckled, looking around the room at their peers. Some of whom were completely disregarding the instructor and doing whatever they wanted, which sometimes included just punching the clay and then chugging their glass of wine. “Well, I’m glad it’s a bit more rowdy in here. I feel like I’d be way too nervous if this was a fancy place.” He took a sip of his wine.

“Hey!” The instructor zeroed in on Taako, who was making a bowl instead of a vase. “It’s vase day! It’s Cab ‘N Vase night! No bowls!”

Taako rolled his eyes and quickly reshaped his clay, then changed it back when the instructor wasn’t looking. “That frat dude over there is using his clay as a punching bag, but the guy targets  _ me _ ?”

Kravitz laughed. “I thought he was about to yell at  _ me _ for how bad I am at this.”

“Noooo, you’re not bad,” Taako glanced at Kravitz’s misshapen lump of clay. “You’re just...abstract.”

Kravitz laughed drily. “Thanks.”

“Here,” Taako reached over to put his hands over Kravitz’s to guide them, only to find that they were  _ very _ cold. He resisted the instinct to pull his hands away. “Oh boy. Oh, boy howdy, that is a clammy one.”

“Y-yeah, uh- Sorry, uh-” Kravitz stammered and he moved to pull his hands away, but Taako tightened his grip ever so slightly - just enough to stop Kravitz from moving away. He refused to make eye contact with him, though, keeping his eyes on the clay as he helped Kravitz work on it. He tried to ignore the heat in his face.

As cold as Kravitz’s hands initially were, they warmed up relatively quickly under Taako’s. The added warmth seemed to help make the clay more malleable, and Taako guided Kravitz through the motions he needed to shape the vase. They both stayed quiet and there was a feeling of tension in the air between them as they both pretended to be 100% focused on this dumb piece of clay in front of them and not on the feeling of each other’s hands.

The mood was broken by the instructor’s gruff voice. “Hey! No reenacting scenes from the movie  _ Ghost _ !” He pointed to the wall behind him where a poster for the movie was hanging with a big red X painted over it.

“Ugh,” Taako moved back to his own bowl. “This place is stupid. I’ve never even seen that movie.”

“There was a pottery scene in it,” Kravitz said stiffly, looking a bit flustered by having been yelled at.

Taako chuckled. “I gathered that much, homie.”

They continued with the class, managing to get through a bottle of wine (total) by the end of it. Kravitz’s vase turned out much better than he’d expected, and he showed it to Taako, his date-nerves dropping a bit in excitement.

Excitement looked cute on him, Taako noted. “Looks great, my man. I think you’re better at this than you think you are.”

Kravitz looked a bit flustered by the compliment. “Not as good as yours,” He argued, gesturing towards Taako’s perfect vase. “When did you change it back to a vase, anyway?”

“Eh, I got bored with the bowl,” Taako shrugged.

They carved their names into the bottom of their works as instructed, then left it on the designated shelf and signed up to get a text alert when their vases would be ready to take home (the instructor estimated about one to two weeks).

The night air was brisk and felt nice as they stepped out of the too-warm store. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Kravitz put his hand in his coat pocket to get his phone. “I guess I should call an Uber.”

Taako shrugged. “Or we could walk around a bit. The campus is pretty nice at night. Pluuuuuus,” He took Kravitz by the elbow and led him away a bit so they were out of site of the store’s windows, then pulled a bottle of wine out of his bomber jacket. “I swiped this as we were leaving.”

“You-” Kravitz laughed. “How’d you do that?  _ I _ didn’t even notice.”

Taako winked. “I have my ways.”

Carey and Killian walked by just then. Spotting the wine bottle, Carey said, “Ayyy, you too?” and proceeded to pull out a bottle that she’d also swiped before high-fiving Taako. “ _ Nice _ .”

Killian laughed, then took her hand to lead her away. “C’mon Carey, we should leave them alone. See you on Monday, Taako!”

Taako winked and gave a two-fingered salute.

“Friends of yours?” Kravitz asked as they started strolling in the opposite direction. 

“Eh, sort of,” Taako shrugged and pulled out the wine cork with his teeth, spitting it out into a nearby trash can. “Carey’s friends with Magnus; the big guy that drove us home from the party? And I’ve got a couple classes with Killian. So I see ‘em around a lot.” He took a sip from the bottle and handed it to Kravitz. “They’re not really part of the ‘main’ friend group, per say, but they tend to come out to some things with us.”

Kravitz took a sip. “That sounds pretty nice,” He commented, his expression wistful. 

Taako frowned. “D’you not have many friends?”

He shrugged. “I’m not very good at...socializing.” He chuckled. “I’m sure you’ve learned as much. My roommate likes parties so I go out with him sometimes, but they’re not really my scene.”

Taako took the bottle and sipped from it, then handed it back. “What  _ is  _ your scene, then?”

“I’m more of a stay-at-home kind of guy when I’m not working. It’s the easiest place to practice my instruments.”

“What do you work as?”

Kravitz stiffened almost imperceptibly, then took a big gulp of wine. “It’s kind of like an internship.”

_ Guess we’re getting into uncomfortable territory again _ , Taako thought. “...Can I ask where?”

“Uh, with, um,” Kravitz hesitated. “With a deity.”

“Oh.” That didn’t sound bad. “So like a religious thing? Like a cleric?”

“No, not- Not exactly,” Kravitz hesitated again, then sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. “Taako, can I tell you something?”

Taako sat down next to him, a bit concerned now. “Of course.” 

“I’m, uh, I’m not very experienced in the relationship department. I’ve never really... _ had  _ one. Not that this-” He straightened up quickly. “Not that this  _ has _ to become something like that, or anything. I just mean that I don’t know much about how to date, and I’ve been on very few.”

Taako shrugged. “That’s fine. I mean-”

“There’s- Sorry,” Kravitz apologized for interrupting. “There’s more than that. There’s...something about me that I feel like someone who  _ would _ be in a relationship with me would deserve to know, but I’m not entirely...entirely sure  _ when _ would be the proper time to sort of- To sort of come out with it, you know?”

Taako thought for a moment. He was always fluctuating between either a mindset of “no one deserves to know anything about me ever” or “overshare everything for the hell of it.” He frowned. “Kind of, I guess. If it’s something that you feel like you gotta say, then go ahead. But if you’re not comfortable, then that’s fine, too. No biggie.”

Kravitz smiled. “You’re nice.”

Taako felt heat in his face, and was glad there wasn’t much light here. ‘Nice’ wasn’t exactly a common compliment for him.

Kravitz sighed. “Taako, I- I know this is like, our first date - well, first  _ real _ date - but I’ve had a crush on you for, like, the entire semester-”

“Samesies.”

“And - heh, uh, I don’t- I don’t really know where you stand, but...I’d like to keep this - what we have - and see where it goes.”

Something stirred in Taako’s stomach again. Long-term speak. “Y- I mean, yeah, my dude, that’s-” He felt his eyes sting. Shit. He looked down at his hands, letting his hair hide his face and trying to will himself not to cry right now. “I’m not, uh, not too good at the relationship stuff either. I’ve only been in, uh, one real one, and that- It wasn’t good. We were both, uh...We were both pretty awful to each other.” He looked up at Kravitz, his eyes clear now. “I’m a pretty self-centered person, and that’s something  _ you _ should know. I’ve only ever cared about myself and Lup, and I suck at letting someone else into that circle. Even my friends are, like, on the periphery to me. I mean, I like them or whatever, but I...I keep them in as much of an arm’s length as I can.”

Kravitz was silent for a bit, and Taako wondered if that was too much oversharing again. He swiped the bottle and took a gulp, then continued, staring at the wine instead of at Kravitz. “I’m just saying...you seem like a really decent guy, and I- I like you and I’d like to go out with you more, sure, but...I got some baggage that I don’t know if you’d want to deal with. Long-term.”

Kravitz was silent for a few more moments. “...We all have baggage, Taako,” He murmured. Taako looked up at him to see he was staring off into the distance. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” He said, handing him the bottle.

“Taako, I...” Kravitz sighed and took a sip. “I’m not…” He sighed again. “Maybe it’d be easier to- To show you.” He stood up and handed the wine back to Taako, then stepped back a bit. He extended his arm and a scythe materialized, then a black cloak unfurled itself over his head and surrounded his whole body. His red eyes started to glow and his skin turned translucent, partially revealing a skull.

Taako watched with a straight face, his expression unreadable. Not even his ears moved to give away any sort of reaction.

With his skin barely visible, Kravitz couldn’t quite blush, but his discomfort was visible nonetheless. “I’m not... _ alive _ ...not quite.”

Taako’s expression stayed the same. “Explain.”

“I, uh,” Kravitz sighed and disappeared the scythe and his skin became more opaque, but the cloak stayed on. “I sort of... _ intern _ for the Raven Queen- You know who that is, I assume?”

“Sure, the goddess of death.”

“Yes. Well…” He bit his lip and thought for a moment. “It’s not something I wanted - you don’t exactly grow up wanting to be an emissary of death. But, uh, something happened to me.” He sat back down next to Taako. “In my teen years, I was, um...I was used. I was tricked by people I thought were friends of mine. They made me part of a necromancy ritual. I...died.” A look of sorrow crossed his face. “But the Raven Queen took pity on me. To this day I still don’t know why. She offered me a deal.” He fiddled with the hem of his cloak for a moment. “I could enter the afterlife in the Astral Plane as usual, or I could...live. Sort of. I could return to the Material Plane and continue my life - continue growing. I could finish high school and attend college, if I wanted, and I would age up to a certain point. But after that point, I would work for her full-time as a bounty hunter.”

He glanced over at Taako, whose expression was still unreadable.

“It- um,” Kravitz continued. “It wasn’t an easy decision. I mean, it would mean living a  _ real _ life down here - with a few side effects, as you’ve noticed - but it would also mean giving up my dream of becoming an orchestral conductor. But  _ not _ taking it would mean going into the Astral Plane with every other dead soul and...I didn’t even know what I would  _ do _ in the afterlife. And to me that was somehow scarier.”

“So you took the deal,” Taako finally spoke.

“Yeah.” Kravitz looked over at him. “So...that’s my, uh,  _ my  _ baggage, I guess.” He let out a short, dry laugh. “I’m not- Like, I’m used to it by now and I’ve accepted it, I’m not still hurt or anything. It’s just something I’m hesitant to tell other people about. For obvious reasons.”

Taako was quiet with thought for a minute. “Well...kinda makes my shit look like nonsense,” he said as if to lighten the mood.

Kravitz let out an awkward laugh. “No- No, everyone has their own shit to deal with.”

“Yeah…” Taako, trailed off, staring at the label of the wine bottle. He’d never really had a heart-to-heart like this with...well, anyone besides Lup, really. 

“If it’s- If this is too much for you-”

“Are you kidding?” Taako looked over. “You look sick as hell, my man, I’m lowkey digging the whole look. I mean, I’m not too crazy about the sort of cold, clamminess of the skin, but uh...I mean I’m not running away terrified or anything.”

“So you- You still wanna date me?”

“Psh.” Taako stood up, then pulled Kravitz up with him. His cloak disappeared as he stood. “I mean, as long as you’re willing to date me with all  _ my  _ shit, I think I can handle having an undead boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?”

Taako’s face grew hot and he looked away. “You know what I mean. Undead guy I’m dating. It’s just a shorter word, is all. More convenient,” He muttered.

He felt Kravitz hesitantly touch his hand to his own before taking it, and his hand warmed up relatively quickly again. Taako shifted his hand so their fingers were properly interlaced, then looked up at him. 

Kravitz’s face looked about as flushed as Taako’s felt, but he gave a small smile as the two continued to walk, hand in hand, passing the wine between them as they chatted about lighter things. And Taako felt lighter, too. The fact that he was able to lay out all his shit (well, a summation of his shit) and have it be out in the open was a lot more freeing than he’d thought it would be.

Once the bottle was empty, Taako chucked it into a nearby recycling bin (good thing there were so many on campus) and the two stood for a moment, wondering what to do now that their wine was gone. 

“I guess, uh,” Kravitz spoke. “Guess we should head home now.”

“Yeah.” Taako considered inviting Kravitz back to his place, but decided that enough had happened tonight where that could wait for another day.

They both stood awkwardly until Kravitz spoke again. “Oh!” He let go of Taako’s hand and reached into his pocket for his phone. “I should call the-”

Acting on impulse, Taako interrupted him by putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him into a kiss. His lips, as expected, were cold. But like his hands, they warmed up quickly and it was overall a  _ very _ nice kiss. Taako wrapped his arms around Kravitz’s neck and Kravitz moved to wrap both of his around Taako’s back. Taako slowly moved into another kiss, this time a bit deeper. They held it for a moment before Kravitz suddenly pulled away by turning his head to the side. 

“Something wrong?” Taako asked.

Kravitz let out a breathless laugh and turned to look at him again, their faces inches apart. “ _ Gods _ , no, it- It was just very nice.”

Taako snorted. “Well, usually when a kiss is nice, people don’t break away from it.”

Kravitz smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, it’s just been a while, is all.”

“Understandable.” Taako shrugged.

“Can, um-” Kravitz cut off with a blush. “Could we-”

“Dude, you don’t need to ask me if you can kiss me again. Just do it.”

Kravitz dropped his head to Taako’s shoulder in embarrassment before lifting it and pressing his lips to Taako’s. Taako was tempted to escalate it, but decided that Kravitz seemed too nervous to try doing too much too fast. Instead they continued their slow, easy kisses, until it was Taako’s turn to pull away because he needed a breath. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just- Wait, do you breathe?”

Kravitz chuckled. “Not really, no. I mean, I do out of habit.”

“Damn, that’s lucky,” Taako muttered, his mind wandering to other ways that would be useful.

Kravitz’s chuckle broke him out of his reverie. “We should probably get going, it’s pretty late.”

“Yeah,” Taako sighed as he let Kravitz pull out his phone this time. It was a shame to end the date, though it was nice knowing that it wouldn’t be the last. They snuck in a few more kisses before the Uber arrived.

Once in the car, they rode in silence for a few moments before Kravitz spoke, his face flushed again. “So...just so I know...about how many dates before  _ you  _ start to consider someone a boyfriend?”

Taako looked over, but Kravitz refused to meet his gaze. He smirked. “Uh, kinda depends on the guy. If it’s the kind of guy where, say, I’ve  _ liked  _ him for a while before we started dating, it shouldn’t take too many.” 

Kravitz nodded as if it had been an answer that deserved deep pondering.

Taako saw an opportunity. “Gotta have at least one date where I cook for the guy, though.”

Kravitz turned to him, seeming to get where Taako was leading. “Really?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I might be a chef one day. Can’t really be with a guy who doesn’t like my cooking, can I?”

“That’s very true.”

“Here’s the thing, though,” Taako turned fully towards Kravitz and clasped his hands together. “I’m a very impatient guy, and I’m not very good at the whole waiting-an-entire-week-between-dates thing that society’s so fond of.”

“Right.”

“And tomorrow I’m going grocery shopping with my sister, so it would be  _ very _ easy for me to grab dinner ingredients.”

“Mhm.”

“So, I mean, technically speaking, I’d be able to do another date as soon as tomorrow.” He twiddled his thumbs and averted his gaze, his ears lowering a bit.

Kravitz laughed. “I think I need at least a day to rest between date nerves. How’s Sunday?”

His ears perked up and he met Kravitz’s gaze. “Sounds like a reasonable deal to me.”

Kravitz smiled. “So, Sunday?”

“It’s a date.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm not planning on continuing this story (I wasn't even originally planning to do a multi-chapter thing for this, lmao) but you never know!
> 
> Follow me at arcanelaurels.tumblr.com for more of my writing or to see me make dumb memes about taz!


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